


On The Run

by kethni



Category: Veep (TV)
Genre: Christmas Request, F/M, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-24
Updated: 2017-12-25
Packaged: 2019-02-19 15:51:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,819
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13126905
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kethni/pseuds/kethni
Summary: Selina shivered. She’d been here nearly an hour. She was cold, she was thirsty, she was fed up, and nobody was paying her a god damn bit of attention. What was up with that? These fuckers had to know who they were breezing past. Damn hipsters.She looked around the lobby. Every time a car drove past, every time the door opened, and every time someone walked on the chilly marble floor, she looked up.Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!Then she saw him. She didn’t know who she’d been expecting, but it hadn’t been him.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> With thanks to Veeple, who requested a Christmas Kent/Selina story.

 

It was all Laura Montez’s fault. That was always a good bet generally, but right now Selina meant it. Laura the Explorer had ruined Selina’s fucking _life_.

As Selina shivered in the bitter cold, she cursed Laura fucking Montez.

Catherine too. After everything that Selina had done for her, all the money that she’d spent on Catherine’s education, and Catherine turned around and…

There was a hotel. Right. That would do.

Selina stamped into the hotel and over to the receptionist.

‘Hey, can I use your phone real quick?’

‘Sure! You can –’

There was an ear-splitting crash of thunder.

Selina flinched. She didn’t even have a jacket. It hadn’t been winter weather when… and anyway now she was freezing her tits off.

‘Thanks,’ she said to the receptionist.  

***

Kent was chopping wood. It was a chore that had been his since he was tall enough to hold an axe and strong enough to wield it. There were parents who would have been horrified at giving a child an axe and telling him to chop wood. Kent’s parents were not of that breed. They were of the breed that believe that true safety was achieved, not by keeping the child from the axe, but by teaching the child _exactly_ how dangerous it was.

It was a while since Kent had chopped firewood. Probably he hadn’t done it since he was last here. It was in his bones, though, and he was likely to forget how to walk as how to chop wood.

He was still chopping firewood when his sister-in-law Harriet walked over. She was a tiny woman, barely coming up to his chest, with ebony black hair down to her waist.

She held out Kent’s cell.

‘It keeps ringing and ringing, on and on,’ she said.

‘Ah,’ he said. ‘I was concerned that it might distract me.’

His cell started to ring: a number that he didn’t recognise.

‘Please make it stop,’ Harriet said seriously, turning away.

‘I’ll try,’ he said. He accepted the call. ‘Hello?’

‘Thank God! This is an emergency!’

Kent wiped his face. ‘Who’s this?’

***

Selina shivered. She’d been here nearly an hour. She was cold, she was thirsty, she was fed up, and nobody was paying her a god damn bit of attention. What was up with that? These fuckers had to know who they were breezing past. Damn hipsters.

She looked around the lobby. Every time a car drove past, every time the door opened, and every time someone walked on the chilly marble floor, she looked up.

Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!

Then she saw him. She didn’t know who she’d been expecting, but it hadn’t been him. Weird how easy it was to recognise him, when he was dressed so differently. Was he even Kent if he wasn’t in a suit?

He was in jeans, a heavy flannel suit, a charcoal cashmere sweater, a padded coat, a grey woollen hat, and hiking boots. He looked like a porn parody lumberjack.

‘I was expecting Gary,’ she said.

‘The airports are closed in the storm,’ Kent said. ‘But I was near enough to drive.’

‘God, I’m glad to see you,’ Selina said. ‘I’ve been waiting around for hours.’

He looked her over. ‘You look on the cusp of hypothermia,’ he said, taking off his coat.

Selina rubbed her hands together. ‘No fucking kidding.’ She looked at the coat he was holding out to her. ‘What am I supposed to do with that?’

‘Put it on,’ he suggested. ‘You’re currently dressed… sub-optimally for the weather.’

‘Is that Kent speak for you think I’ll freeze my tits off?’ Selina asked.

‘Yes.’ He rubbed his hands together. ‘And that would be regrettable.’

She nodded. ‘Yeah, they cost a fortune.’

The coat was fucking huge. It lapped her ankles and her hands were lost halfway along the sleeves.

‘You don’t have something less fucking ridiculous?’ she asked.

‘Ooh, no,’ he said. ‘But if you don’t want to wear it…’

‘I do,’ she said quickly. ‘I do.’

She followed him outside, the bitter wind chafing at her ears and cheeks. She sank into the snow up to shins, and resisted the urge to squeal.  

‘This your car?’ she asked.

‘My dad’s, do you need assistance getting in?’

‘No,’ she said, tripping over the hem of the coat. ‘Fuck.’

She struggled to push back the sleeves enough for her to open the car door. When she finally got a grip of the door handle she yanked it, hard, and the door flew open. She stumbled backwards, tripped over the hem of the coat, and landed on her ass in the snow.

Selina looked up at the darkening sky. ‘Ow.’

Kent walked around and offered her his hand. ‘You okay down there?’

‘Get me up.’

It was almost insulting how easily he pulled her to her feet.  

Selina climbed into the car. Kent leaned across her to pull on the seatbelt. She shivered as she watched him walk around and get in the driver’s side. Kent started the car. He glanced at her and then turned on the heating.

‘Thanks,’ she said.

‘Any time. You’re no good to anyone frozen.’

She expected him to be a careful, fussy driver. He was that type, right? She didn’t expect him to speed or to cut in and out of traffic.

‘Be nice if we get there alive,’ she said.

He smiled slightly. ‘Selina Meyer, playing it safe. Who’d have seen that coming?’

She folded her arms. ‘Everything goes to the shitter so quickly, why would I wanna take a chance? Maybe someone’s trying to tell me to be more careful.’

Kent tapped his thumbs on the steering wheel. ‘You’re aware that there’s no empirical data of any form of higher power.’

Selina adjusted the collar of the coat. ‘You would say that.’

He clucked his tongue. ‘Be nice. I don’t have to be here. I was enjoying time at home with my family when I was called to drive thirty miles, in the freezing cold, to pick you up.’

‘Is this where you ask me for gas, grass, or ass?’ Selina asked. ‘Because I don’t carry one, don’t have the other, and it is way too cold for the third.’

Kent looked out of the window. ‘The third would require rather a lot of imagination, certainly but with sufficient work it could be done.’

Selina ignored this and leaned against the door. ‘Thirty-mile drive back to your mom’s place, huh? No chance of driving through to New York?’

‘It’s _Christmas_ ,’ he said. ‘Excessive food consumption. Family. Sickening sentimentality.’  

‘Aren’t you too old for all that shit?’ she grumbled. ‘I know I am.’

He shook his head. ‘I’ve been looking forward to it for months.’

Selina sniffed. ‘I guess that working Jonah will do that to someone.’ 

‘Human beings are social animals. We need to share time together in meaningful ways to remind ourselves that we _are_ human, and that we share far more than ever separates us,’ Kent said.

She stared at him. ‘Wasn’t really thinking there’d be so much existential debate.’

Kent shrugged. ‘You can come to the house or we can try to find you a hotel.’

Selina chewed her lower lip. ‘You in a rush to get rid of me?’

It was mostly a joke, but there was always a hint of touchiness, of anxiety in those sorts of jokes.

Kent tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. ‘My dad’ll be disappointed if you don’t want to come to dinner,’ he said. ‘There’s plenty of room and plenty of food.’

‘You’ve got… like… people?’ Selina shrugged. ‘Are you married? You got kids?’

‘At the house? No. Divorced with no children. My sister’s children will be there though. You won’t like them.’  

Selina looked at him. ‘Before they can talk kids are great. Afterwards they’re just stupider adults who don’t pay taxes, can’t vote, and who you can’t swear at.’ She pushed back her hair. ‘You’re seriously divorced?’

He gave her an inquiring look. ‘Frivolously married and seriously divorced.’

‘Smart ass,’ she said. ‘Always figured you either were a lifelong bachelor or you’d been married since you were twenty.’

He scratched his eyebrow. ‘That would’ve made dating Sue… complicated.’

‘You dated Sue? No shit, really?’ Selina asked. ‘Huh. That explains the arguing. I just figured everyone was stressed as fuck.’ She glanced at him. ‘She’s not the one you’re divorced from?’

Kent chuckled. ‘No. I suspect I would have been in traction for weeks.’

‘I was seeing Andrew again,’ Selina said. ‘He fucking cheated on me, of course. I don’t think he even understands the concept of monogamy. Why do men do that? Why would you cheat on someone like me with some low rent piece of ass?’

Kent’s grip tightened on the steering wheel.

‘Hey, are you listening?’ Selina asked.

‘Apologies. I thought it was a monologue,’ Kent said. He shook his head. ‘Infidelity isn’t the exclusive realm of men, and it’s self-indulgent of you to suggest otherwise. It lets him off the hook for his misbehaviour, and it lets you off the hook for imagining he’ll change a lifetime of behaviour.’

‘You’re a barrel of laughs,’ Selina grumbled. She was quiet for a few minutes. ‘What happens when we get to your mom and dad’s house?’

‘It’s almost dinner time,’ Kent said, checking his watch. ‘They’ll feed us.’

Selina looked out of the window. ‘The storm looks worse.’

‘It’s not too far now. We’ll beat the storm,’ he promised.

‘We better. I don’t wanna get stranded.’ She rubbed her hands together. ‘Can you imagine the headlines?’

Kent gave her a wry look. ‘I can imagine the vitriol that would be thrown at the Secret Service.’

‘Ha! They’ll freaking the fuck out,’ she said. ‘They’d be looking at the sack for this.’

‘I imagine their primary concern is your safety,’ Kent said mildly. ‘Technically speaking if they lost you then nobody knows where you are.’

Selina looked at him sharply. ‘Are you trying to be funny?’

He looked honestly baffled. ‘No. I’m just saying, there would be a lot of people panicking.’

‘Like old times, huh?’ Selina asked.

Kent smiled wryly. ‘We never lost you, or any former President.’

‘However much we might’ve wanted to.’ Selina rubbed her nose. ‘If I’m gonna have dinner with your folks then I’m gonna need a few things. Makeup. Deodorant.’ She looked at him. ‘Shit like that.’

‘Okay,’ he said. ‘There’s a Target –’

‘Ew, no. Are you fucking kidding? Plus, I’d get mobbed.’ Selina checked the mirror. ‘There’s gotta be some... Mom and Pop place.’

He thought about it. ‘Yes, but the choice will be extremely limited.’

‘But no floral prints,’ Selina said, disgusted.

Kent rolled his shoulders. ‘I don’t suppose you’re carrying any money?’

‘Didn’t we have this conversation? I’m not fucking you in a beat-up Jeep in the middle of Oregon!’

Kent looked at her. ‘For your clothes and make-up.’

‘Oh,’ she said. ‘No.’

‘Is that what you think of me?’ he asked. ‘That I’d take advantage of a woman who –’

‘ ** _Who what_**?’

Kent hesitated. ‘Who asked me for help.’

Selina looked out of the window. ‘Every other man wants payment. If it’s not sex or money, then its fame or prestige.’

‘How do you go through life with such cynicism?’ Kent asked.

‘How do you not?’

Kent parked the car. ‘Perhaps you should stay in the car.’

‘Perhaps you’re gonna go call someone and I wanna make sure you don’t,’ she retorted.

***

It was like something out of a shitty movie. Some piece of beef jerky behind the register and bored teenagers trying to pass off a doctor’s fake ID to buy cheap domestic beers.

Selina shuddered at the polyester fire traps masquerading as clothes. She grabbed some panties and some nasty makeup that looked like an allergy in a jar, and headed to the register.

‘How about this?’ Kent said, holding up a jacket.

‘For your niece? What did she do to hurt you?’

Kent’s lips twitched. ‘For you.’

‘It’s for a kid. It has a cartoon pony on it.’

‘You’re somewhat... petite,’ Kent said.

She narrowed her eyes. ‘It’s pink.’

‘It is,’ he agreed. ‘The relevance of that is...?’

Selina snatched the jacket. ‘Show me a picture of you wearing a pink jacket with cartoon ponies, and I’ll put you on the cover of my autobiography.’

‘A new one?’

‘It’s gonna blow everyone out of the water.’

Kent tilted his head. ‘What about _Some New Beginnings_? Wasn’t that your autobiography?’

Selina reddened. ‘Shit.’

Kent’s lips quirked into a smile. ‘You forgot you’d already written you autobiography?’

‘I forgot Dan wrote it, God.’ She waved her hand. ‘Let’s pretend it didn’t happen and hope some fucking smartass middle-aged cat lady doesn’t make a big deal out of it.’

‘Perish the thought,’ Kent said.

Selina stumbled as some asshat in a camo jacket shouldered her aside. She was about to give him a piece of her mind, when he pulled a gun from the waistband of his jeans.

***

Selina smacked her fists on Kent’s arm, as he ran across to the car with her under his arm. ‘Lemme down!’ She hissed. ‘I’m not a toddler! I can run!’

‘Not in those shoes.’ he said, dropping her and opening the car door.

‘If you’d backed me up –’

‘How? Throwing some more cans of soup? That worked so well when you did it.’

They scrambled into the car, just as the dazed robber staggered out of the store.

He looked at the parked cars. Selina yanked on her seat belt. He raised the gun. Kent slammed the car into reverse, then accelerated away, swerving wildly as the robber fired.

Kent looked into the rear-view mirror.

‘Fuck! I should carry a gun,’ Selina said. ‘I would’ve blown that asshole away.’

Kent laughed. ‘You threw five cans and two of them hit the cashier. If you’d had a gun you’d have probably killed him too.’

‘Oh boohoo,’ she said. She sat back in her seat. ‘What was your plan, run away?’

Kent shook his head. ‘My plan was not to get shot. It’s a modest goal in life admittedly.’

Selina looked at him. ‘So we’d either get shot or have to hang around waiting for the cops to pretend they have a chance to catch that guy.’

‘And instead we’re driving around worrying that we might be tracked down for fleeing a crime scene,’ Kent said.

‘Yeah,’ Selina said, her good mood fading. ‘I still don’t have clothes or makeup.’

***

Selina loosened the collar of the jacket she was wearing. They were drawing up outside a neat little cabin at the end of a dirt path. She glanced back through the rear window.

‘That’s wrong?’

‘That fucking SUV.’

‘Lots of those around here,’ Kent said.

Selina tightly folded her arms. ‘Yeah. Right.’

Kent parked the car, got out, and walked around to her door. He opened her door for her. Selina hopped out of the car.

‘Please let me do the talking,’ he said.

‘I can be nice,’ Selina grumbled.

‘Great! When?’

She gave him a sour look.

The door was opened just as Kent raised his fist to knock.

‘Hi Maya,’ he said.

Maya was a black woman about Selina’s approximate height and build. She was holding a shotgun about the same size she was.

‘Bunny? What the fuck are you... is that President Meyer? I heard –’

Kent stepped forward. ‘We need to talk in private.’

Selina followed them into the cabin. Kent talking to Maya privately wasn’t odd or unusual. A president was supposed to... glide through life holding meetings, agreeing to treaties, and announcing policies. A president’s staff made all this possible with murmured conversations, private meetings, and every other activity that added up to the frenzied paddling underneath the graceful swan. So, Kent and Maya whispering away in the kitchen was totally normal. Nothing suspicious.

Huh.

Kent returned to the living room. ‘Maya is getting you a few things.’

Selina waved a hand at the cases on the wall. ‘Some of these would’ve been useful at the convenient store.’

Kent pulled a face. ‘No guns, please, Ma’am.’

‘You’re no fun,’ she said. ‘Didn’t you ever want to fire a gun? Just to feel the power of it?’

‘You’re onto nothing there,’ Maya said, carrying a sports bag into the room. ‘Kent doesn’t like guns,’ she said. ‘Such a waste.’

‘A waste?’ Selina asked.

Kent put his hands on his hips. ‘I _can_ shoot but I prefer not to. I find guns more dangerous than I’m happy to deal with.’

‘He’s pretty good,’ Maya said. ‘For a candy ass liberal.’

Selina snorted. ‘Are we talking about the same Kent Davison?’ She looked at him. ‘You’d argue that kids should work down mines if you thought it’d get a few more votes.’

He squared his shoulders. ‘You paid me for my professional advice, not my personal political beliefs.’

‘They’re supposed to be the same,’ Maya said. ‘God, you people are so _cynical_.’

Selina rolled her eyes. ‘Nobody needs Kent to tell them what _he_ thinks. We need him to tell us what the public thinks.’  

Kent pursed his lips. ‘Fortunately, at no point was it necessary to tell you that the public thought children should work down mines.’

Maya shrugged. ‘That’d bother me less than the _Meyer Bill_ ,’ she said.

Kent cleared his throat. ‘We did agree that we would avoid discussing politics.’

Selina took a deep breath and looked around the room. ‘You shoot all those yourself?’ she asked, pointing at the stuffed animals and mounted heads.

‘Monty is from a junk shop,’ Kent said, pointing a moose-head. ‘Maya found Bert at a roadside,’ he said indicating a beaver.

‘Hey!’ Maya protested.

‘It’s true,’ he said.

‘Damn it, Bunny, do I try to stomp all over you when you’re trying to impress someone?’

Kent shrugged. ‘You’re not her type.’

Selina pushed back her hair. ‘The shitty luck I’m having with men, maybe you should be.’

‘The rest of these, I hunted myself,’ Maya said, pulling a face at Kent. ‘Do you carry, Ma’am?’

‘Not right now,’ Selina said. ‘But I’m thinking of getting a license.’

‘You should. You really should,’ Maya said. ‘Nothing makes a woman feel more powerful than ten inches of cold steel.’

Kent chuckled. ‘Ten inches? Are you sure that wouldn’t be... uncomfortable?’ he asked. ‘You have quite small... hands.’

‘Oh, shut up, you,’ Maya said. ‘You know what I meant.’

Selina shook her head. ‘Are you seriously making sex jokes?’

‘Me?’ Kent asked innocently. ‘I never said anything of the sort.’

‘You know that penis envy bullshit is idiotic,’ Selina said. ‘I don’t want a dick. Well, I don’t want to _be_ a man. I haven’t got laid in like... a year so...’

‘Saddle up, Bunny,’ Maya said. ‘No pressure.’

Selina laughed, too much. ‘Oh, God, no... I wasn’t... I prefer my men to have an actual penis and not a swappable attachment.’

Maya looked at Kent.

‘It amuses the president to pretend that I’m some sort of android or cyborg,’ Kent said coldly.

‘Oh,’ Maya said. ‘Is that since the vote thing or...’

Kent was shaking his head firmly. A bit too firmly.

‘It’s just a joke,’ Selina said opening the bag. ‘With Kent being so rational and logical. Do you even have sex, Kent? It’s hardly a logical way to behave.’

Maya sniggered. ‘oh, wow. You have _no_ idea why his nickname was bunny.’

***

Maya’s hiking boots were a little small, and her clothes were a little big. But they were warm and comfortable, which was a marked improvement. Selina had given Kent his jacket back, with some reluctance, and put on Maya’s coat.

‘Like a rabbit, huh?’ Selina asked.

‘I was very young.’ Kent said, not looking at her. ‘I was away from home for the first time, and there was little or no supervision.’

‘Most kids get drunk, or smoke weed,’ Selina sniggered. They don’t bone the entire student body and half the faculty.’

Kent rolled his eyes. ‘Maya exaggerates wildly.’

‘But it was your nickname.’ Selina said.

‘Yes.’

‘Because you were the typical man sticking your dick into every hole you could find,’ she said, accusingly.

He pursed his lips. ‘For a woman with a healthy sex life you can be remarkably puritanical about other people’s.’

‘Just men,’ she said. ‘If I’d carried on like that in college I’d have been called names.’

‘The only reason you know about this is because of an appellation that was given me,’ Kent protested. ‘An appellation that continues forty years after the fact.’

‘Pft! Being called bunny is cute and affectionate. Being called slut is neither, believe me!’

Kent glanced at her. ‘I was alone in a strange place. I don’t make friends easily. I needed some... human connection.’

‘Sure,’ Selina said. ‘Still doesn’t matter. You could do that, and I couldn’t.’

‘Okay,’ he said. ‘I get that.’

They drove quietly for a while, the silence only broken by the sound of the wipers, and the car tyres passing over snow.

‘Lonely, huh?’ Selina said eventually.

‘I’m sorry?’

She shifted in her seat. ‘You were lonely at college.’

‘I suppose that’s a fair assessment,’ he said quietly. ‘Being somewhat uncomfortable in social situations doesn’t mean I wish to be a hermit.’

‘How’d you get laid so often? You’re not exactly Don Juan.’

Kent smiled wryly. ‘I wasn’t considered _that_ unattractive,’ he said, ‘and I didn’t talk a great deal. I’m afraid after a few friendly encounters my reputation proceeded me. Even then, there were plenty of ladies who preferred something transitory with someone safe and discreet.’

Selina snorted. ‘You put it like that and I can exactly how you banged so many ladies.’

‘It was a phase,’ Kent said. ‘It passed.’

‘You didn’t screw half the West Wing staff?’ Selina teased.

‘I no longer partake in temporary arrangements,’ he said. ‘I don’t have objection to them, but I’ve realised that they’re not for me.’

Selina was confused to find herself a little disappointed. ‘They can be plenty of fun. Not that I get much chance.’

‘Politicians often seem to feel that way,’ Kent said dryly.

Selina sniggered. ‘You don’t have to help Jonah, do you? Christ knows most of the hookers in D. C. would still think twice before giving him a shot.’

Kent shuddered. ‘Fortunately, Richard has the honour of dealing with his more... personal issues. Although Jonah somehow seems to be antagonising Richard of late.’

Selina snorted. ‘Jonah could antagonise fucking paint.’

***

Kent slowed the car a little. ‘Nearly there.’

‘Right. Anything I need to know?’ Selina asked. ‘Any crazy racist uncles? Will your dad try grope me? Any topics totally off the table?’

Kent frowned. ‘No crazy uncles, my father prefers redheads, and you should avoid politics entirely.’

Selina managed a sympathetic expression. ‘Montez voters.’

‘Worse. Socialists.’

‘Shit,’ Selina said.

‘They think you’re a right-wing, warmongering, corporate lackey,’ Kent explained.

‘Oh. Yay.’


	2. Chapter 2

Hippies. Hoo boy. If she had sat down and thought about Kent’s family, it wouldn’t have been this. There was only one man who should wear long hair and sandals, and that was Jesus. Kent’s father, Liam, was doing his best to reclaim the look. He stood ramrod straight and Kent favoured him strongly.

He was also missing three fingers on his left hand. Selina was struggling not to stare.

‘The president doesn’t hug,’ Kent said immediately on the two of them walking in the door.

Selina gave him a wary look.

‘He says that every time he brings a woman home,’ Kent’s mother said. She was introduced with the rather unlikely name of Bertie. She was taller than Selina, with perfectly white hair in a severe bun.

Selina smirked when Kent pulled a face.

‘Not everyone appreciates a bear hug as an introduction,’ Kent said, taking off his coat. 

‘Not everyone appreciates a handshake,’ Liam said mildly.

Selina shuddered.

Bertie brushed her hands over her flannel shirt. ‘Kent, why don’t you show Selina upstairs, so she can have a shower or a nap before dinner?’

Kent hesitated for a moment before nodding. ‘Sure, this way.’

***

‘Why didn’t you warn me?’ Selina hissed, as Kent showed her into a guest bedroom.

‘I did,’ he protested. ‘I said they’re –’

‘About your dad,’ she said.

He looked at her blankly.

‘His hand. You know that… that I don’t like missing bits.’

Kent rolled his eyes. ‘I assure you that he isn’t thrilled about it either.’

Selina kicked off her boots. ‘Is anything else missing?’

‘Not that I’m aware of,’ he said. ‘He’s eighty-four and has fathered two children, so I assume he has everything vitally important.’

She untied her hair. ‘You bring a lot of girls home, huh? _Bunny_.’

‘One or two,’ he said, walking to the door. ‘There’s a shower through there. I’ll call when dinner is ready.’

‘Great.’

***

Selina wandered downstairs before Kent called her. The house was old, but she was pretty sure that smaller rooms had been knocked through. That figured. Selina like solid walls and lockable doors. Kent’s parents seemed like the types who’d want open spaces.

Bertie was in the living room, squinting suspiciously at a bottle of something vividly orange in a large bottle.

‘Did I miss everyone?’ Selina asked.

‘Kent is in the kitchen helping Liam with dinner,’ Bertie said. ‘Harriet has gone to pick up Freddie and Davie. They were visiting friends.’ She waggled the bottle at Selina. ‘Peach brandy?’

‘Sure, why not,’ Selina said. She joined Bertie on the couch. ‘You know, Kent told me you all have me pegged as a right-wing warmonger.’

Bertie nodded as she gave Selina a large measure of peach brandy. ‘No doubt you consider us commie scum.’

Selina whistled as she tasted the brandy. ‘This is strong stuff.’

‘Of course,’ Bertie said. ‘Only capitalist overlords water down the booze.’

Selina grinned.

‘I understand you met Maya,’ Bertie said.

‘Oh yeah,’ Selina said. ‘Nice lady. Makes me look like a peacenik.’

‘Kent has always kept… eclectic company.’ Bertie poured herself some more brandy.

Selina saluted with her glass. ‘That’s me, eclectic to the core.’ She shook her head. ‘I never _wanted_ to go do any military operational stuff. Do you have any idea what it feels like to be told you’ve send some kid off to get his leg shot off?’

‘No. But you accepted that possibility when you ran for president,’ Bertie said. ‘I never wanted that responsibility. You did.’

Selina nodded. ‘And I did my best. Mostly.’

Bertie brushed her jeans. ‘It was a shame about your _Families First_ bill. It was horribly flawed and would have been terribly implemented, but it was well intentioned. So many politicians only work for themselves and corporations.’

Selina pulled a face. ‘Jeez, thanks for the gushing praise.’

Bertie cocked her head. ‘Believe me, that was.’

***

‘You’re not vegans?’ Selina asked as she sat down. ‘Kind of seemed like that would be in your wheelhouse.’

‘Veganism is a rather sophomoric attempt to deal with the ethical challenge of the natural circle of life,’ Bertie said. ‘We humanely and sustainably raise the animals we eat.’

‘President Meyer’s daughter is a vegan,’ Kent pointed out.

‘When Marjorie is looking,’ Selina said. ‘Pretty sure Catherine sneaks ice cream and chocolate.’

‘Sounds sensible to me,’ Liam said. ‘Life needs its small pleasures.’

‘Please don’t smoke at the table,’ Kent said.

Liam affected an expression of injured expression to extreme that Harriet began laughing.

‘It’s perfectly legal!’ Liam protested.

‘There are children present,’ Kent said.

Freddie, a teenager with a face full of hair and baggy clothes, looked at Selina. ‘They have this argument every time.’

‘Grandpa, nobody wants to see you get high,’ Davie, a few years younger, said.

Liam looked at Selina. ‘I grow it myself. It’s very good.’

Selina grinned. ‘I haven’t laced a doobie since college.’

‘Please, don’t encourage him,’ Kent said.

Liam winked at Selina. ‘Talk to me later.’

‘What are your plans for tonight?’ Bertie asked. ‘We hoped to go to the Christmas concert.’

Selina swallowed a mouthful of food. ‘In the storm?’

‘It’s barely a fifteen-minute walk,’ she said, waving it off.

‘That could be problematic,’ Kent said cautiously.

‘Yes, yes, Kent,’ she said. ‘I’m sure we all understand the potential consequences. That’s why I was asking.’

Kent held up in hands. ‘Apologies.’

‘There are people in a car outside,’ Davie said.

Selina gritted her teeth.

‘Those are bodyguards,’ Liam said. ‘To protect President Meyer. When you’ve finished eating you can take them a plate.’

‘They’re not bodyguards,’ Selina said. They’re secret service agents.’

‘The president’s daughter is dating a former member of her detail,’ Kent said.

‘Did she ever lose you?’ Harriet asked. ‘Perdita would be horrified if failed her duty.’

Kent turned to Selina. ‘Perdita is my sister. She’s Harriet’s partner.’

‘Yeah, I got that.’ Selina poked her food.

‘She’s on deployment,’ Harriet said. ‘In Afghanistan.’

‘You must be so proud,’ Selina said automatically.

Kent winced.

Liam cleared his throat. ‘We’re proud of both our children, however they choose to serve the public.’

‘I’m going to clear up for the next course,’ Bertie said abruptly, standing up.

Freddie pulled a face. ‘Soldiers are the jackbooted thugs of the military-industrial complex.’

Harriet scowled. ‘That is not an appropriate topic for discussion. Especially at dinner.’

‘But Grandpa –’

Selina turned to Kent. ‘Bet they love you working for Jonah, huh?’

‘Thrilled,’ he said, getting up and gathering dishes.

‘I don’t have to do that, do I?’

‘No, Harriet never does.’

Selina looked at Harriet, who shrugged. ‘We’re supposed to be guests. well, I am. Sort of. They’re only putting up with me to see the kids and they’re only putting up with you out of national duty.’

‘They don’t seem like folks who consider themselves real patriotic,’ Selina said.

Harriet frowned. ‘Don’t confuse alternative viewpoints with opposing ones,’ she said. ‘They totally loathe most of your policies, but they respect your position.’

***

Liam pulled out a small pipe.

‘That’s how you toke up?’ Selina asked.

‘I like a pipe,’ he said. ‘People are always rushing. You can hurry a cigarette. You can hurry a cigar. You can’t hurry a pipe. You have to take your time. Do it properly. I like taking my time.’

‘I wish that was an option for me.’ Selina played with her glass. ‘I never had a fucking minute to myself.’

He stood up. ‘You have a minute now,’ he said. ‘Come and have a pipe with me.’

Selina got up, feeling a little transgressive, as if she were sneaking around behind Kent’s back. She grabbed her jacket from the coat rack as Liam opened the patio door. They stood on the patio, looking out at the snow-covered garden, while Liam prepared a pipe for both of them.

‘Gary hates me smoking,’ Selina said.

‘Bertie doesn’t like it, but she doesn’t make a thing of it.’

Selina sniggered. ‘Gary’s not... he’s my bag man. My assistant. Oh, damn, the idea of dating Gary.’

Liam gave her a thoughtful look, that was so similar to one of Kent’s expressions that it made her redden.

‘You’re not dating your assistant,’ Liam said. ‘Didn’t you use to be a lawyer?’

Selina smirked. ‘They mostly date their secretaries.’

He handed her a pipe. ‘It’s strong.’

‘I’m a big girl,’ Selina said. ‘I can take it.’

Liam smiled as she sucked at the pipe.

‘Did you know Sue?’ he asked.

‘Wilson?’ Selina asked blankly. ‘Why... Oh. Right. She and Kent dated he said. For... some length of time, I guess.’

‘She broke his heart,’ Liam said.

Selina tensed. ‘Oh... Okay,’ she said. ‘That’s personal information I didn’t expect to have. And definitely didn’t need.’

Liam puffed his pipe. ‘We’re all grownups.’

‘Most grownups stop whining about broken hearts before we hit forty...’ Selina said.

Liam shook his head. ‘You’re a cynic, Selina. You must’ve been a romantic.’

‘You figure?’

‘Cynicism is scar tissue,’ Liam said. 

Selina leaned back against the wall. ‘This your thing when you get high; you talk like a bad greeting card?’

‘I guess so,’ he said. ‘Is your thing getting defensive?’

She smacked his forearm. ‘You don’t wanna see me defensive.’

The patio door opened, and Kent stepped out. Selina felt herself relax as the smoke curled in her lungs. She leaned back again the wall.

‘Oh look, it’s grumpy,’ she said.

He was frowning at the pipes. ‘Are those marijuana?’

‘It’s a little late for you to have a problem with it,’ Liam said

‘I’m not sure that President Meyer should be mixing those with her meds,’ Kent said sharply.

Liam reddened. ‘Oh, I didn’t think,’ he said sheepishly.

‘Calm the fuck down,’ Selina said, closing her eyes. ‘I’m fine.’

‘I can call Doc Tang,’ Liam suggested.

‘I just said I’m fine, Jesus. Worrywarts.’

A warm, dry hand was laid across her forehead, and then took the pulse at her throat.

‘No. I’ll call her doctor,’ Kent said.

Selina opened one eye. ‘I’m standing right here.’

‘Barely,’ Kent said.

‘I’m just high,’ she said. ‘Don’t be such a pussy.’

Liam murmured something to Kent, who nodded and handed over a slip of paper.

Selina straightened up. ‘Can we go?’

Kent blinked. ‘what?’

She clapped her hands together. ‘You wanted Christmas dinner with your family. We’ve done that. Can we go now?’

He pushed his fingers through his hair. ‘In the morning we can –’

‘Fuck the morning.’ Selina yanked open the patio door, marched through the house, grabbed her coat, and marched outside. She stormed past the black SUV, pausing to throw pebbles at it, and towards the road.

‘Selina!’ Kent jogged after her.

She ignored him as she stuck out her thumb.

‘Come back to the house,’ Kent asked.

‘I’m going home!’ she snarled, whipping around to face him.

‘Okay,’ he said quietly.

‘Don’t fucking humour me!’ She jabbed her finger at him. ‘I’ll hitch. I’ll walk. I’ll god damn crawl if I have to, but I’m going home!’

It was his expression, that mix of kindness and pity, that broke her.

‘Okay,’ he said gently. ‘We’ll get in the car and we’ll drive overnight.

She dropped her face. Shoulders shaking. Snow began to fall, flakes landing in her hair, and on her face. The flakes melted, and the water mingled with her tears.

Kent put his arm around her shoulders. ‘We’ll dry off,’ he said, ‘pack a change of clothes, and then we’ll get back in the car.’

Selina nodded. ‘Okay,’ she said quietly.

***

It was pitch dark when they set off. Selina looked out of the window, and scrubbed the condensation away with edge of her hand. The streetlamps had a nimbus of bluish light. She knew they made it more difficult to see the stars, but she still found the soft light reassuring.

The heating in the car clunked and whirred.

The wipers swished backwards and forwards.

Selina looked at Kent. She couldn’t hear him breathing. Some men breathed like they were running a marathon, even when they were sat still. Ben was like that, and Roger Furlong. Furlong wheezed. Mike whistled through his nose. She fucking _hated_ that whistle. 

Kent breathed quietly. As Selina watched him, she saw his chest rise and fall in easy, regular movements.

‘Thanks,’ Selina muttered.

He glanced at her. Fuck, was he going to make a big deal of it?

‘You’re welcome,’ he said.

She watched the trees skipping past the window. ‘Your folks seem... nice.’

There was something in the way he nodded, the set of his shoulders, maybe, or the curl of his lip, that suggested he was more amused than irritated.

‘Nice?’

‘For normals,’ she said. ‘Well. You know, if you wanna call your parents normal.’

‘Insulting the family of the person driving you cross country is an... interesting approach.’

Selina rubbed her hands together. ‘You’re the one finding an insult. Which bit bothers you, that they’re normal or that they’re not?’

Kent tapped his thumbs on the steering wheel. ‘Your tone,’ he said.

She chewed her lower lip. ‘I’m all fucked up on meds and weed. And peach brandy.’

‘Dear Lord, it’s a wonder that you’re ambulatory.’

Selina snorted. ‘I can hold my liquor.’

Kent glanced at her. ‘Was that supposed to be an apology?’

‘You’re the expert on tone, you tell me,’ she said.

Kent pursed his lips and said nothing.

She was going to wait. She wasn’t going to say anything. She wasn’t going to let his silence push her into –

‘I don’t know what “tone” you mean,’ she said. ‘But… I didn’t mean to insult your family.’ She fussed with Maya’s overlong jeans. ‘I know you think I’m a bitch, but I am capable of basic fucking gratitude.’

Kent pulled the car over. He turned to Selina but kept one hand on the steering wheel. ‘I don’t think that. Why would you think that I think that?’

She rolled her eyes. ‘C’mon, Kent. Amy admitted that _everyone_ called me a cunt. I know you all fucking hated me.’

He winced at the word. ‘We were all under an intolerable amount of pressure,’ he said.

‘And?’ she prompted.

‘And?’

Selina thumped the dash. ‘You hate me, you think I’m a bitch, or worse. Just own up.’

He sighed heavily. ‘I never hated you. You were by no means an easy employer, but I bore you no ill will.’

Selina shook her head. ‘Learn to read the room, Kent. I _want_ you to be honest with me. The last fucking time you weren’t lying to my face was when you worked for Hughes. As soon as he said he wasn’t seeking a second term, boom, you started telling me what you thought I wanted to hear.’

He leaned his elbow on the doorsill. ‘You imagine I’m alone in that?’

‘I _imagine_ you’re the most egregious,’ she snapped. ‘When you came to the West Wing you treated me like _shit_ , you –’

‘I _treated you_ like the vice president,’ he interrupted. ‘I _treated you_ no worse than you had us treat Doyle. _You_ made it personal, Ma’am, the way you make everything personal.’

‘Why won’t you be fucking honest with me!’

‘Because you’re ill!’

Selina’s mouth snapped shut. She looked out of the window.

After a few seconds, Kent started the engine.

She watched the landscape being pushed by the window. The temperature was growing colder. Condensation began to re-form on the glass.

Snow began to fall. A few flakes. Then a few more.

Selina rubbed away the condensation with the palm of her hand. Then she dried her hand on her pants.

Kent turned the heating up.

‘It was a spa,’ Selina said quietly, still looking out of the window.

‘Okay.’

She tightly folded her arms. ‘It was.’

Kent sighed. ‘You want me to be honest with you. You’re not even honest with yourself.’

Selina closed her eyes and leaned back against the headrest.

***

The car shuddered as the wheels hit the shoulder.

‘Kent!’

He grabbed the steering wheel and pulled the car back onto the lane.

‘Did you fall asleep?’ she demanded.

‘Evidently,’ he said tersely.

Selina pushed her fingers through her hair. ‘How far have we got to go?’

He thought about it. ‘Just under three hours.’

‘Fuck.’ She glanced at him. ‘You’re gonna crash the car by then.’

He tapped his fingers on the wheel. ‘Driving tired is potentially more dangerous than driving drunk.’

Selina gritted her teeth. ‘Fuck. Fine. Pull off at the next exit. We’ll find a hotel or a motel or something.’

‘On Christmas Day?’ Kent asked. ‘It might be wise to temper your expectations.’

‘It’s that or sleep in the car,’ she said. ‘Don’t fucking push me.’

***

‘Number 115.’

Selina glowered at the receptionist, and snatched the key card. As she marched off to the elevators, she heard Kent thanking the receptionist. The act didn’t fool Selina, she knew he didn’t give any more of a shit about the little people then she did.

He caught up with her as she was counting the door numbers. Stupid long legs. The world favoured tall people. It was a just another kind of sexism. Men were taller than women. That’s the only reason tall people had it better.

Number 115. Selina glanced at Kent and shoved the key card into the slot. The red light changed to green, she yanked out the card, and pushed open the door.

Kent followed her into the room and pushed the door shut.

Selina kicked off her shoes, and shrugged off her coat. She hopped over to the coffee machine and turned it on. She heard Kent go into the bathroom.

Huh. Who’d have figured that the robot needed to pee.

There was a double bed and there was a small couch. She should probably feel nervous about being alone in a bedroom with Kent. She didn’t really think of Ben or Gary as being men, certainly not as being sexual, so being in a hotel room with them hadn’t bothered her. For all she taunted Kent as being robotic and cold he was distinctly male, and sexual, in a way that should make her uncomfortable to be alone like this with him.

‘You making coffee?’ Kent asked, loosening his tie as he walked out of the bathroom.

‘I could drink ditch water,’ Selina said.

‘I trust that’s not necessary,’ he said, taking off his shoes and putting them neatly at the foot of the bed.

Coffee putt-putted into the waiting cup.

‘Huh, look at that,’ Selina said. ‘Gary always makes out as if these machines are like launching the space shuttle.’

Kent stood beside her. ‘He was always rather desperate to make himself necessary to you,’ he said.

‘That’s fucking creepy,’ Selina said.

He shrugged. ‘Yes, but it’s merely a distortion of a natural drive. We all wish to have a purpose.’

‘You don’t have to tell me, I wanted to be president since I was a little girl.’ She dumped creamer and sweeteners into the coffee and stepped back, watching Kent as he made himself a coffee. ‘What’s yours?’

Kent raised his eyebrows. ‘I have served the public in many different manners,’ he said. ‘I also have creative outlets which I find quite fulfilling.’

Selina pulled a face. ‘Jesus, please tell me that you don’t go making hideous paintings or writing horrific poetry?’

‘I’ve never tried either,’ he said. ‘Why do you assume I would be inept?’

‘Because for every Picasso or Shelley there are thousands, and thousands of Giménez or McGonagalls,’ Selina said.

‘Giménez?’

‘The woman who fucked up that portrait she was trying to restore,’ Selina said. ‘The one that now looks like a gorilla in a dress.’

‘Ah.’ Kent sipped his coffee. ‘Nonetheless, for many people the act of creating; painting or otherwise, is satisfying in itself.’

Selina snorted. ‘What’s the point if you can’t be the best?’

‘Because the pursuit is rewarding,’ Kent said. ‘Irrespective of whether or not perfection is attained.’

She pulled a face. ‘If I can’t win then I don’t want to play.’

Kent nodded. ‘I’m quite aware.’

Selina thought about it. ‘You mean in politics? Elections and stuff.’

‘Yes.’

‘Yeah,’ she said. ‘Well, you got to play to win.’

Kent finished his coffee and walked towards the bed. He removed his tie and unbuttoned his shirt.

Selina licked her lips. ‘What’re you doing?’

‘Going to sleep,’ he said, looking over his shoulder at her. ‘Is that a problem, Ma’am?’

‘Not in the bed, you aren’t.’ Selina put her hand on her hip. ‘You haven’t even bought me a drink.’

‘How very old-fashioned. Perhaps you should buy me one.’ Kent pulled back the bedclothes. ‘The couch is hardly practical, Ma’am, unless one is a hobbit. But please, feel free to avail yourself of it.’

‘Hey! I’m not a hobbit!’ Selina protested. ‘What’s a hobbit?’

He took off his belt. ‘A diminutive fantasy species in Tolkien’s works.’

She grabbed a pillow and threw it at him. ‘I’m not a… dwarf!’

‘Dwarves are entirely different species,’ he said, catching the pillow.

Selina rolled her eyes. ‘You fucking… nerd.’

‘And proud of it,’ he said, unbuttoning his trousers.

Selina licked her lips. ‘You’re not gonna make me sleep on the couch.’

He pulled off his shirt. ‘Ma’am, I’m not making you do anything. If you wish me to drive us the remainder of the way tomorrow, then I am going to have to sleep. Despite years of yoga practice, I cannot fold myself in half in order to fit on the couch.’

She folded her arms and tried not to stare at his chest. ‘You’re no gentleman.’

‘No,’ he agreed. ‘Merely the man who left his family in order to drive through the snow for hours to pick you up, bring you back to family dinner, pay for everything, and then drive through the night in order to take you home. Who will subsequently have to drive all the way back again. But certainly, I’m no gentleman.’

Selina reddened. ‘I said thank you.’

‘You did,’ he said. ‘I’m going to go to sleep now.’

She watched him peel off his trousers. ‘You’re not really going to make me sleep on the couch.’

He threw a pillow in the middle of the bed, dividing it in two. ‘It’s entirely up to you. Goodnight, Ma’am,’ he said, getting into bed.

***

Selina could hear the shower. She was lay flat on her front, legs and arms spread wide, face pressed into the pillow. Fuck. She was always doing that. It really hurt her tits.

She groaned as she rolled over. The springs of the motel mattress twanged underneath her. Jesus, however much Kent had paid for the room, it was too much.

Selina looked at the other side of the bed.

Wait.

The bed?

She heard the shower shut off. Selina sat up. The t-shirt that she was wearing barely reached her belly button, and her panties were wedged up her butt. She pulled the sheet around her as the bathroom door opened.

Kent was mostly dressed but he hadn’t buttoned up his shirt, and he was drying off his hair with a towel.

‘Good morning,’ he said.

‘How’d I end up in the bed?’ she asked. ‘I was gonna sleep on the couch.’

Kent tilted his head. ‘In the early hours of the morning you woke me up, told me to make room, and got into the bed. You threw the pillow over there.’

Selina sighed. ‘Is that all I did?’

‘You have a surprisingly robust snore for a woman your size,’ Kent said.

She rolled her eyes. ‘Smart ass.’

‘I try.’

Selina cocked her head. ‘Nothing happened, huh?’

Kent raised his eyebrows. ‘Certainly not. If it had I would hope that you would remember.’

She got out of bed and headed to the bathroom. As she walked past Kent, she saw his eyes slip over her, just for a moment. She stopped, and looked at him. ‘You like what you see, Kent?’ she asked, watching him redden.

He cleared his throat. ‘I’m know you’re aware that you’re a very attractive woman.’

Selina smirked. ‘Five minutes after waking up?’

Kent actually thought about it. ‘Although grooming and makeup add polish to the appearance and enhance natural sophistication, without them there is often a warm, artless sensuality.’

‘Often?’

‘Certainly.’

Selina tugged at the hem of her t-shirt. ‘Like… now?’

He looked away. ‘I should… uh…’

‘Sure,’ she said.

***

 Selina poked her yoghurt with her spoon. She looked up as Kent’s cell vibrated. He took it out of his pocket and glanced at it.

‘Someone finally give a shit about what you’re doing?’ she asked.

‘I am on my Christmas break,’ he said mildly. ‘And my current occupation hardly has the same pressure and… eventfulness as working in the West Wing.’

Selina pulled a face. ‘I know that feeling. When I left the White House, I couldn’t get arrested. Hey, it’s not the cops is it? About the robbery.’

Kent shook his head. ‘Happily not, it’s merely Catherine asking for a status update.’

Selina swallowed dryly. ‘What? My Catherine?’

‘Yes she –’

Selina grabbed the cell from him and began scrolling back through the messages.

‘What’re you doing?’ Kent demanded. ‘That’s my personal phone.’

‘Don’t push me,’ Selina growled.

The messages he sent were brief and factual: _We’re leaving the hotel. We’re stopping for gas. We’ve decided to have dinner._ Catherine’s messages…

_…she’s fragile…_

_…please be careful…_

_…we’re so worried…_

‘You fucking traitor,’ Selina whispered, her hands shaking. ‘I thought you were helping me.’

Kent put his hands over hers. ‘Selina, I am helping you.’

She looked up at him. ‘By taking me back to that… _place_. That _hospital_?’

Kent shook his head. ‘By taking you home, to the brownstone in New York. Selina, this isn’t a movie. You weren’t locked away against your will. You entered the hospital voluntarily. You were free to walk out at any time. All the business climbing out the window was quite unnecessary.’

‘You knew all the time?’ she whispered. ‘Does everyone know?’

He sighed. ‘There’s no shame in –’

‘In being _weak_? In being a woman?’

Kent leaned back. He picked up his plate. ‘If I smash this on the floor, is it the plate’s fault for not being strong enough to withstand it?’

Selina stared at him. ‘I’m not a plate!’

‘No, you’re a human being,’ he said. ‘Human beings are not prepared psychologically to deal with the kind of stress and pressure that comes with being the leader of the free world.’

‘Tell that to Hughes and every other fucker before him,’ Selina said quietly.

Kent snorted. ‘Oh yes, Stuart Hughes. The man who thought that the Chinese were stealing his thoughts with a magic telescope.’

Selina blinked. ‘What?’

‘He cracked,’ Kent said. ‘You all do. Whether it’s drugs, alcohol, physical problems, or psychiatric problems, you all suffer one way or another.’

‘Why the fuck am I only hearing about this now?’

Kent neatly laid his spoon in his bowl. ‘Because they all do what you’re doing right now. They all hide it. They’re all ashamed. Do you imagine you’re the only person on the Hill taking anti-depressants or the only person who has spent time in a psychiatric hospital? I promise you that you’re not.’

Selina straightened her back. ‘You’re just saying that to make me feel better,’ she said, but she wasn’t certain. There was a hopeful tremor in her voice.

Kent reached into his pocket and took out a box. ‘You’re aware that Ben and Dan both had recourse to mental health care professionals. I could name you a dozen senators who are under psychiatric care. Doubtless Gary could name you more.’ He showed her the box.

‘Xanax?’ Selina asked. ‘Are you supposed to slip that into my food if I get difficult?’

‘I was supposed to take it for anxiety,’ he said. ‘I haven’t had the necessity of late. Working for Jonah has many downsides but that isn’t one of them.’

She took the box and looked at it more closely. It was definitely his name on the label. When she took out the blister strip she saw that half the pills had been taken.

‘Never figured you for the anxious type,’ she admitted.

‘I would have never imagined you suffered from depression,’ he said.

Selina handed back the box, and then his cell. ‘Catherine’s gonna want me to go back.’

‘Perhaps,’ Kent said. ‘But when have you ever listened to Catherine?’

She snorted. ‘You’re taking me home?’

‘Yes,’ Kent said. ‘If that’s where you want to go.’

‘You’re gonna tell me I should talk to a doctor at home,’ she said, wrinkling up her nose.

Kent held up his hands. ‘That’s not my place.’

Selina cocked her head. ‘But you think I should.’

‘I do.’

She nodded. ‘Okay. Let’s go.’

***

The rest of the drive back was quiet. Selina napped for a while.

When she woke up, it was warmer outside. There was no snow to be seen.

She straightened up, and pushed back her hair.

‘Good timing,’ Kent said. ‘We’ll be there momentarily.’

Selina looked at him. ‘Why’d you do all this? You didn’t have to.’

Kent thought about it. ‘I was worried about you.’

‘Even though you hate me?’

He shook his head. ‘I never hated you.’

Selina managed a smile. ‘Must’ve freaked people out, huh, the former president running around Oregon all on her own.’

‘You throwing things at your secret service detail was a little concerning,’ he admitted.

‘I couldn’t stand looking at those fuckers,’ she said. ‘They were in the spa. Always lurking. Never helping.’

He found a space near the brownstone. ‘Here we are, Ma’am.’

She unbuckled her seatbelt. ‘You know, you called me Selina before. It didn’t cause the world to end.’

Kent smiled. ‘Here we are, Selina.’

She turned to look at him. ‘Come inside.’

‘I have a long drive back,’ he said.

Selina brushed her fingers through his hair. ‘Do it tomorrow.’

Kent looked into her eyes. ‘Okay.’

 

The End


End file.
